A Compassionate Encounter
by ShipperForLife11
Summary: Katara is upset that she didn't have the strength to kill Yon Rha, so what happens when Zuko finds her crying to herself?  Zutara oneshot.  Obviously takes place after 'The Southern Raiders'  Enjoy!


A/N: So, I don't want to go back to school on Tuesday, and I don't want to get one of my teeth pulled tomorrow. So what do I do when life gives me lemons? I WRITE ZUTARA FANFICTION! So, this is just an idea that I had sort of randomly. It takes place after 'The Southern Raiders' episode. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. Much to my chagrin, Bryke owns it, and ended the series with Kataang. *sigh*

Katara was sitting next to the fire that Sokka had made earlier that night. She brought her knees up to her chest as a tear slid down her tan cheek.

She glanced over at the other people sleeping in the room next to her and decided to go into one of the inner chambers of the temple so that she didn't wake anyone up.

She stood up quietly, picked up a blanket, and walked towards the back of the temple going in no particular direction.

She wandered down corridor after corridor, tears silently sliding down her face as she moved deeper into the cliff side.

Only after the snores of her companions were completely gone did she rest her back on a wall and silently slide down until she reached the floor.

And only then she allowed herself to shake uncontrollably and sob into her hands. She was glad that she was able to contain her feelings since she and Zuko got back from their 'field trip.'

She didn't want anyone to see her in such a vulnerable state, and she definitely didn't want people fussing over her, so she would wait until night to let her true emotions out.

The gaang needed her to be a motherly figure, and if she broke down every minute, then she wouldn't be able to help the others out.

Katara continued to let out heavy sobs, so she didn't hear when someone entered the room she was in.

The person that entered the room looked at the girl on the floor questioningly, and then sat down next to her.

Only then did Katara notice that there was someone there. She lifted her head slightly and looked over at the boy next to her.

"Shhh…" the boy said in a comforting voice. "It's only me."

Katara gave him a watery smile, and then said, "S-sorry Z-zuko. I d-didn't m-mean t-to w-wake you u-up," she said while holding back tears.

"It's okay. I couldn't get to sleep anyway. I saw you get up and come in here, and then I heard you crying so I just thought that I would come and see what was wrong," Zuko said.

That got Katara thinking what she was thinking about, and she started crying again. She tried to explain why she was crying to Zuko but she just ended up choking on her words.

Zuko gently placed his hand on Katara's upper back and then began to rub small circles into her light blue water tribe dress.

Katara leaned her head into Zuko's muscled chest and continued to weep loudly. And Zuko just sat there waiting for Katara to cry herself out.

They remained in that position for the next few hours, and then Katara began to calm down.

She let out a deep sigh and then moved her head back slightly to look at Zuko. He smiled down at her and said, "You know, just because you didn't kill Yon Rha doesn't mean you're weak. It actually shows you're a strong woman," Zuko said comfortingly.

Katara smiled up at him. "Do you really mean that Zuko?" she asked.

"Zuko gave a small smile in return. "Yes, I do. You are a very strong woman Katara, and you should be proud of yourself for restraining from killing him," Zuko said.

He then reached down to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. Katara smiled, and then began to stand up as Zuko did the same.

She immediately stumbled because she had been sitting for so long, but Zuko caught her in his brawny arms.

She looked up again at his handsome face, and then reached up to touch his partially raw, red scar.

He initially cringed away from the contact with the rough flesh, but then relaxed into Katara's warm and gentle touch.

He closed his eyes as she stroked the scar lovingly. Her eyes, however, were very open and bright.

They both slowly eased into an upright position. Both of them wanted to remain in each other's arms, but knew that it would have to end sooner or later.

Zuko was the first one to make a move toward going back to bed. "We should probably go back to sleep if we're going to function properly. I don't know about you, but I have todrill Aang, and I'd rather have more energy than less," Zuko said softly.

Katara nodded. "I agree. I thanked you right?" she asked Zuko slowly.

Zuko allowed a confused expression to cross his face. Katara rolled her azure eyes. "I meant to thank you for helping me face my mother's killer and for coming out with me tonight. I really do appreciate it," she said quietly.

Before he could respond, she slowly brought her lips up to meet his and kissed him fervently.

"Thank you," she whispered again. She then walked off to her tent leaving Zuko standing there, speechless.

A/N: One shot! WOOT WOOT! And I do know that Zuko would probably never act like that in the series, but I wanted to get this out of my head, so I just wrote it. Hope you all had a happy new year! Bye!

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